pacman

I just changed my name to Bumblebee a few years ago after a chat with Pacman no less about being able to track ones id through a forum name, I know, I know...

I remember that conversation & I believe I have been vindicated by subsequent events. I have now heard of people whose lives have been at least affected, if not ruined, by the ease people have been able to cause harm to them simply by tracing their email address. And with weak passwords, these troublemakers can really cause harm.

As for my name, no story, it just appealed to me. And Lung, I like it. I didn't know it meant Uncle but that just seals it for me.

I know, I know...

Intriguing...

"And the poor people are only scum anyway, aren't they, hardly worth worrying about".

Very little shocks me these days but the first time I came across this mentality in LOS, I was amazed. Now I know it is just the way it is. Money is power & without money, justice is just a dream.

In Pattaya a few years back, a Hi-So Bangkok lad was with his mates in a bar on Second Road. A local guy was sitting with the sole of his foot visible. This enraged the young scion who went to his car, returned with his gun & shot the guy dead. His party then left the bar.

The police were called, the guy was identified, there were witnesses but the police took no action. On enquiring they were assured that this young fellow wasn't in Pattaya at the time so he couldn't have done it. The police accepted the story & did nothing about it.

The only problem was - he left his car parked outside the bar. When it was pointed out to them, they threatened the barowner with prosecution for trying to cause trouble. They weren't prosecuted because they also had connections. But they did have to close the bar.

BTW, that Ferrari costs over a million dollars in LOS. I am sure his insurance company will fix it because an insurance clerk simply couldn't question whether the claim was allowable or not. Not if he wanted to keep his job he couldn't.

Venice is enchanting unless you have ever had the misfortune to be there on a weekend. OMG! What a nightmare! That's when the locals visit & the population of the place goes through the roof. It once took two of us 10 minutes to cross a 3 metre wide lane with our luggage. And that was only because we literally had to push our way through the teeming throng of humanity.

Monday to Friday belongs to the regular tourists & there are enough of them. And if one frequents the restaurants advertising the Turista Menu, good luck getting decent food in one of those places. A 3 course menu offered for a flat rate sounds like value but the food is (or was) appalling.

My favourite part of Italy is the Amalfi Coast. The first time I wandered Positano I thought I had died & gone to heaven. So many wonderful places to stay, to eat, to drink, to see, it is a magical part of the world. Or it was on my last visit.

The Amalfi & the Cinque Terre coast are getting too popular these days but I read that there are less visitors now thanks to the continuing GFC. I have walked between the five towns of the Cinque Terre several times & would recommend it to anyone. One day I want to do it with a small pack & stay along the way. It is a photographer's dream & the food is some of the best I have ever eaten anywhere in my life. And the local house wine, the Vino da Casa, was usually excellent for prices as low as 5 Euros a litre. After paying ridiculous prices here, it came as a revelation.

I could list many places in Europe, some in the US but if I had to nominate one place that stays in my memory as being that unique combination of historic, beautiful, cultural with congenial hosts, I would give it to Srinagar in Kashmir. Back when I was there, there was almost no modernisation anywhere & walking the streets reminded me of what life must have been like in a bygone age. I still get shivers thinking about it. And I know that the 21st century will have changed it by now to something different to what I remember.

I had the good fortune to stay there a month as a guest of Abdul Azizz III. I don't mind mentioning his name on a public forum because there are a lot of people there who share that name. I stayed in his 3 story home built out in the mountains complete with servants, cooks & driver. I also stayed at his Delhi home with more servants & his second wife but that's another story.

Most visitors to Srinagar stay on the famous houseboats on Lake Dal but I had the chance to see life through a local's eyes. A very well-off local but just a lovely person all the same. He owned antique shops that had been in his family many generations. And that shit was old. In my bedroom, there were about 10 hand carved chairs lining the walls. I have never seen chairs like them.

I read that Kashmir has started opening up for tourism again & I would love to go back & see how the place has changed & what became of Abdul & his business. Though how I would ever find the places among the rabbit warren of streets that make up Srinagar I don't know. And asking around for Abdul Azizz wouldn't get me far with so many people sharing the same name.

Maybe it's best I keep it all as a lovely memory.

There's nothing new about sleep apnea, it's the silent killer that has been around ever since the arrival of the first person with an endomorphic body type. They are the people who put on weight easily & even when they don't appear big, they carry their fat internally, especially around their organs.

And they carry fat in the back of their throat which causes their air passage to collapse when they sleep. And this is damn hard fat to shift. The C-PAP machine provides air pressure to keep the throat open & allow the sleeper to breath normally.

I don't know if liposuction is a viable option yet for that part of the anatomy but in the meantime, weight loss is the only way to stop apnea. Good luck with the challenge JaiDee, you won't be doing it for vanity reasons, this is to save your life.

And Facebook seemed such a good idea just a few years ago.

No it didn't. That's why I never joined.

Actually I was being ironic. But you get a pass because it was subtle & I know from experience that Americans need irony to hit them over the head. No offense to you or any other septics here on LBR...

Yesterday they showed Missy Franklin (one of the USA swimmers) with an unopened Coca-Cola set smack-dab in front of her. My guess is this healthy little thing has never drank that sugar water swill in her life, but the impression for millions of kids is that Missy gulps the stuff down as part of her training regime.

It is absolutely insidious the way a company like Coke is poisoning our kids. It's now been shown that carbonated drinks strip calcium out of bones. Just another reason why the product should never be allowed to associate itself with the bastion of health, the Olympic Games.

With the world wide obesity epidemic, sooner or later the authorities are going to go after Coke & all the other makers of sugary drinks. That'll be after they make nicotine a controlled substance unsuitable for human consumption.

Hefe! What a mean, miserable, cruel picture!!

Oh, sorry... it's for SiamSam... forget that.... carry on with your inciteful, intelligent posting...

Yikes, I sound as paranoid as I used to accuse you of being Paccers. Will you welcome me to the club finally?

Welcome aboard DT. The ranks of us "doubters" are growing all the time.

Sorry to hear it Ciobha. You're the first to to acknowledge this problem, I am sure there are others with a story to tell.

I don't trust the confidentiality of the web (no offense to our site owner) to give any more details about what I have witnessed, suffice to say, it is only the thin end of the wedge & I predict that there will be laws passed one day specifically to limit the reach of Facebook & similar sites.

Happy snaps taken on holiday & posted on FB are normal practise for so many among us. Imagine having a future partner, employer & children accessing them one day & asking why there are 50 different ladyboys on your page all with their names & personal information. You can hardly deny not knowing them.

And Facebook seemed such a good idea just a few years ago.

facebook will bring to an end not only personal relationships, individual freedoms, any right to privacy, several internet forums and half the ladyboy bars in pattaya-- a century (or two) from now historians will look back at "the facebook" as the decisive nail in the coffin of free society itself.

A century or two? It's a problem now & in 10 years time, half of what you predict will have happened. Don't ask me what half, I can't preempt how this is going to play out but I have anecodotal evidence that people are being screwed by their past catching up with them.

And the cause of their demise? Nothing more than someone typing an email address into Facebook & linking up the results of what came up. Anyone here who has handed out their email address to Thai girls with a Facebook page will find themselves constantly being contacted to join their "friends". And these messages are automatically generated by Facebook, the girls don't even know they have sent the message.

It's a fucking scourge that can cause embarrassment at best & break up relationships at worst. And fuck up family relations & maybe cost your job. I know people who no longer contact other people they know because of who turned up in such a simple search. And the injured party were completely innocent, they still don't know what happened.

Thanks Deepthroat for refreshing my memory. I saw the Pig, that was in the opening scenes & I knew then that this was going to be an Opening Ceremony with a quirky edge. And the Big Ben shot with the music, that made me smile.

I don't know how I forgot Mike Oldfield, I played Tubular Bells to death back in the day, he looked so laidback playing bass guitar, it was a fabulous moment. I am so happy Boyle opted to use his music.

Dark Side Of The Moon is about my favourite album & I share your enthusiasm for the finale. It's as if that music was written for such a moment.

And McCartney did play The End, just another whimsical moment in a show full of many. Plus the Sex Pistols popped up twice at least, for a moment we had their version of God Save The Queen, I nearly choked on my breakfast...

It seems we all agree that this was a top production. Hats off to Danny.

Glad you liked Ted,and I would have hated it if an"Iranian"would have directed it as I probably would have been able to"smell his armpits" in the theater!

I am rarely lost for words but I am speechless. I want to make a retort but what does one say? "No you won't" or "Hurray" or "Good posting".

Or am I too conservative & fail to see the humour in the post?

The Opening Ceremony was just fabulous. I loved the British wit, the inclusion of Mr Bean & James Bond were inspired choices. IMO.

I now know who the reigning UK band of the day is, the Arctic Monkeys. Not the first name that came to mind but fortunately I have nothing to do with the music selection. I guess they are OK, they did a terrific job of Come Together. That was the musical highlight for me, that & Mr Bean on keyboard.

It was better than Sir Paul's rendition of Hey Jude. Why oh why does he have to scream & add lyrics that aren't even in the song? I know it very well & all he had to do was sing it. But he couldn't help himself. Not a major complaint though, just a pedantic observation.

All Poms should feel very proud of their Games. So far, so good.

BUT, not by the Coen Brothers. The recent Three Stooges movie was made by the Farrelly Brothers.

Our fine friend the Pacmeister said it was made by the Coens. Shame on him for mistaking the Farrellys for the Coens.

Thanks Lefty, I did correct my mistake, I knew it was made by American brothers, just not the Coen brothers. By some accounts of the Stooges movie, I wonder if the Coens wouldn't have done a better job...

Pacman, good to see the Farrelly Brothers mentioned as they are the best in comedy,IMHO ever!

You're welcome. The Farrelly brothers are important players in the industry. There has to be someone making movies that aren't high brow.

I guess I'll have to check out "The Three Stooges" and I bet it will be funny as these guys have never let me down.

I don't want to put you off but not everyone thinks this is as good as it should be. Though on one popular film review forum, the critics are divided between dyed-in-the-wool Stooges fans & those who were looking for a comedy. The fans loved it.

Now about funny movies if anyone hasn't seen "TED" yet then I reccomend that you do as it is funny as hell,and really an enjoyable movie, it's directed by Seth McFarland the guy who does the animated series' "Family Guy" and "American Dad" and he finally got to stretch his legs a bit without being censored by the networks.

I did see Ted & I liked it but I didn't love it. There's too much illogical behaviour (yes, I know it is a comedy), there are some gaping holes in its credibility (and I am not just talking about a teddy bear that grows up & talks, etc) but it is all based on a funny premise with a good heart. And it all turns out well in the end. But if an Iranian had directed it, we could have Ted stoned to death for walking around naked & bonking hookers. Now that would have been funny...

I used to watch a lot of foreign fare when I worked in a video store during college, but nowadays I'm stuck in the rut and don't break out of my "popcorn movie" comfort zone much.

Why? You know what to do. Get out of your rut & wander down to an arthouse cinema next time they have something good on.

I sometimes end up getting to catch some of the better documentaries though, as I'm a documentary nut. But there's really nothing I can think of that's leapt out at me the past year or two.

I love a good documentary but I haven't been to one in a while. It's not that they stopped making them, there just hasn't been the hype about any one in particular that has got me off my arse to go see it.

I am reliably informed by people who know about such things that the best doco in the past two years is "Senna", a look at the life of Ayrton Senna, the Formula One driver. Apparently it is excellent. Not a subject matter that I thought would earn such high praise but there I go pre-judging again.

Thanks dazedandconfused for your disconnected post. I was in "ramble" mode myself when I was typing the above posts.

And I completely agree that there are plenty of poor movies among the obscure ones, it's part of the reason why they are obscure in the first place. But there are some wonderful gems among them.

And I get your point about Second Road bars, I do wander far & wide from home base at the Penthouse. If you don't seek, you'll never find.

I never did see Momento & I can't remember why I didn't. I like Guy Pearce, I hope I catch it on the box sometime. I can't remember Two Lane Blacktop but I googled it & it doesn't ring any bells. The film Vanishing Point is mentioned as being similar & I loved that.

As for the distribution of Iranian movies, they all get a run in the major cities, Iranian film directors have a good reputation everywhere. Movie houses that have a policy of never running films with sub-titles are denying their customers the chance to discover something new.

It's a crying shame but a financial reality. But all is not lost with so many new directors stepping right out of the public's comfort zone with some of the new releases. How interesting that so many of them refer to famous foreign film directors as their inspiration. The cream always rises to the top.

I have been scrolling through this thread & I have to ask, apart from some notable exceptions, where are the obscure films? Some posts read like a list of most popular films of all time.

One obscure film I enjoyed this year was the Iranian film A Separation. It took out the Best Foreign Language Academy Award this year so it isn't exactly obscure but I doubt many here have seen it. And please note, despite my liking it, I won't recommend it because I suspect I would be leaving myself wide open to criticism.

It is the antithesis of a Hollywood movie. It runs at a slow pace & the plot does take time to develop. But it presents the main character with an absolutely exquisite dilemma over what to do, does he obey his religion or does he do the right thing. And the director wrings it out for all its worth.

The cast are for the most part amazing. There are times when I felt I was witnessing some real life documentary, there was not the slightest hint that anyone was acting. They were completely real to me & their plight affected as if it was happening to neighbours next door.

I don't want anyone to watch this on my say-so. I have been a fan of foreign movies all my life & I know what to expect. Or I don't expect anything, I want to view the world through someone else's eyes.

So has anyone seen A Separation? And does anyone enjoy really obscure movies? Or am I talking to myself..... again...

Lastly - you have to be shitting me with "Hangover II". I thought they liked the first film so much they just made it a second time, but without the humor and surprises.

I agree. Not funny but worse than that, not even slightly ironic when the story offered up so many opportunities to be clever & ironic. Just a waste of my time & money.

He said Pulp Fiction was the worst most overrated movie ever. Yet he also said he walked out after 15 minutes and demanded a refund of his ticket cost. Before I'd call any movie the worst ever I like to think I'd watch more than the first 15 minutes. Crabby's idea of a good movie was Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc. Either of those would bore me to tears. But as we say in the old country...DSFDF.

I hate to hear someone say they walked out of a movie early & then proceed to rubbish it as if they know all about it. I loved Pulp Fiction but it did take time to hit its straps. A while longer than 15 minutes. I would have expressed my displeasure with Crabby in no uncertain terms.

I had a friend who delighted in criticising anything I recommended. I loved the movie Life Is Beautiful, the 1997 Italian film by Roberto Benigni who also starred & won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in it. I was telling my ex-friend what a great film it was & he started screaming that it was the stupidest thing he had ever seen in his life. And told me he fled after 10 minutes.

Now for anyone who has never seen it, the first half hour of the film are quite strange. It is almost a fantasy dream sequence & I was feeling I had made a big mistake in coming & was wondering what on earth the critics had been smoking to rate it so highly. But I stuck with it because nothing was making any sense & I wanted to see where they went with the story line. I mean, on reflection, I can hardly blame someone wanting to leave the theatre, it was that odd.

But then it changed into a completely different film. Not just a twist in the plot, this was as if someone spliced two separate films together. And then it all fell into place & I was just mesmerised by the incredible story of how a father (Benigni) looked after his son in a German Concentration Camp during the war.

I tried to explain to my "friend" what he had missed but he would have nothing of it & delighted in mocking my taste every time I saw him. He stopped being my friend after that, I realised I had put up with so much shit from this idiot for so long that I felt a weight lifted off me once I wiped him out of my life. I owe Mr Benigni a favour.

May I ask who's your favorite Stooge?

There's only one, the incomparable Curly. He had a stroke in 1946 & was replaced but never equalled by a string of also-rans.

There is film of Curly doing his unique form of comedy that has never been equalled by any human being on the face of the earth. And I don't say that lightly. I had no idea that he hardly survived World War II yet he is still better than all those who came after.

He is also Hefe's avatar & here's another pic of the man.

I may get around to watching it in a few years, if it's on HBO, and I ain't busy. Superhero movies don't generally give me a pup tent in my boxer briefs.

Go & see it!

I just re-read my critique & I was being very hard on the film. This is much more than the usual action, CGI flick, it has enough existential angst to separate it from any other film of the genre.

I may be wrong but I think you will enjoy it. And I forgot to mention Anne Hathaway, she is teffific in this. She gets some of the best lines & some of the best scenes. And she will give you a rod in your undies, when she is bent over riding that big-ass muthafucka of a motor bike cum whatever, all I could think of was sitting behind her & helping her out of her skin tight costume.

Get out of your comfort zone & go see it Lefty. There'll be no red wine for you if you don't...

To make up for my silliness in the last post, here's a few I like:

Ang Lee

Pedro Almodovar

Clint Eastwood

Billy Wilder

Danny Boyle

Frank Capra

And I would add the Coen Brothers, I loved Fargo even if I was less impressed by No Country For Old Men but the one thing I will always admire them for was their persistence to make The Three Stooges. It may be critically panned but they fought for over 10 years to bring this to the screen & I have been hoping all that time they never lost their resolve.

The Stooges are the best at what they did & they never truly received the recognition they deserved. I hope they make more films honouring them, I don't want them to be forgotten.

EDIT: Ahhhh, it's not the Coen Brothers who made the Stooges, it is the Farrelly Brothers!! Same-same but different.....

Yes, either Bruce Beresford or Peter Weir or Fred Schepsi or Phillip Noyce or Scott Hicks or PJ Hogan or Gillian Armstrong or even Jane Campion & she's a kiwi. And even a kiwi would make my list before Baz.

Sorry DeepThroat, I did get a bit carried away there...

Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge)

Really?

Nice that an Australian made your list but this guy? Not in my book, not in a million years. I think he has his head so far up his arse that the lump in his throat is his neck.

OK, maybe that's a bit harsh but I knew when I saw him being interviewed over the delay of the release of his film "Australia" that he would not be able to resist fiddling with it to the point of embarrassment. And he sure embarrassed a lot of Aussies with that load of tripe.

Sorry for the off-topic posts, back to the subject of the movie. I saw it yesterday & consider it a good movie. It doesn't quite make the realm of cinematic greatness (not IMO) but it is a fitting conclusion to the Christopher Nolan brand of Batman movies.

I didn't think it was so 'unrelentingly grim' as to be very drawn out in order to make the point that Batman's revival or rising was an even greater feat than we would otherwise imagine. Oh god did they labour the point that Batman was the underdog against this overwhelming foe. And when the protagonist met the antagonist for their showdown, it was, by giant action film standards, a most pedestrian fight where the inevitable happened without any great cause for alarm. Of course what happened immediately after was completely unexpected & I advise anyone wanting the details to go see for themself.

As to the question of whether a Thai, either GG or LB, would enjoy it, I suspect most would find it a bit excruciating. The long lead up to the finale & the many plot twists were hard enough to follow for a farang, A fairly convoluted plot might diminish their understanding of what is going on but there is enough happening on screen to keep them amused. Funny enough, our Thai friends probably have more chance of knowing what is happening thanks to them having subtitles, something I wished for on a few occasions.

Nolan has this strange habit of having the characters discuss some plot development & presto, in the next scene, it has happened. It makes for very fast movement of the story & saves on monotonous scenes but OMG, blink & you won't know what is happening. And I was concentrating the entire time, some things still caught me out. I wasn't helped by the poor diction of both leads, one because he had a ridiculous plot device permanently over his face making him at times, impossible to understand, & the other lead was speaking in a gutteral hoarse voice that was simply unnecessary & annoying.

If ever a movie suffered from trying to do too much, this one does. There are a host of things I could mention but I don't want to spoil the experience for those yet to see it. And despite what sounds like luke warm praise, I do recommend everyone see it, even if for nothing more than this film is going to be discussed for a long time & you don't want to be the only one left out of the conversation.